Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D (Dynax 5D) review
I've had this camera since Feb 2006 and have used it with a variety of lenses,
including the Konica Minolta 18-70 AF DT kit lens, Sigma 70-200 EX DG APO F2.8
and Sigma 105 EX DG F2.8 Macro lenses. The kit lens does not produce the best
sharpness, contrast, and color (even though it is an excellent general purpose lens
and an excellent value for the money) but that does not reflect on the quality of the
camera. The camera produces excellent images with more expensive lenses. I've
also used this camera with a cheap Quantaray 70-300 lens and the noise level
made all images worthless at just 400 ISO, not to mention a ton of chromatic
aberration. If you buy a good camera then it is wise to avoid the cheapest lenses.
I find that the noise level is very good, even at 3200 ISO it is as good if not better
than other cameras in its class. The ergonomics of this camera are the best. The
rubber grips on both sides as well as for the thumb on the back provide a very
secure and sturdy feel. One of the most comfortable cameras I've ever held, a real
pleasure to use. I've toyed with a Canon Rebel XT in a few stores and it doesn't feel
anywhere as comfortable as the KM 5D, the 2MP advantage of the Rebel doesn't
mean much when you consider how well-planned the 5D is. The features are
everything you'd expect from a camera of this type, I shoot raw format so I don't
fiddle with many in camera settings like white balance or contrast, but for those
shooting jpg it's very easy to produce great images right out of the camera using the
right settings.
Anti-shake is probably the most acclaimed feature and it is really superb though it
should probably be turned off if using a robust tripod. Using an 18-200mm lens I
was able to produce fairly usable images at full zoom at shutter speeds of 1/13
second, especially when braced against a wall. The proximity sensor under the
viewfinder is also convenient since it turns off the lcd display so it doesn't interfere
when using the viewfinder. Buttons are well-placed and easy to use, the trained
user will be able to change some settings while looking through the viewfinder.
When viewing photos I like that I can zoom in all the way in just one step. Some
people may say this is a drawback because they like to zoom in on photos
gradually, but I find this an advantage because I can see right away if a shot is sharp
and decide if I need to do another.
The 5D is by far the best value for the money, when I got mine it was $750 with the
kit lens. The new Sony A100 is a beefed up KM 5D, with almost identical
ergonomics but more MP and some other new features.
Problems:
The only minor drawback is the somewhat low resolution of the LCD, with only 115,000
pixels and 2.5 inches in size. This makes it tricky to determine if a shot is as sharp as it
could be, but usually if there's doubt then i delete the image and shoot more.